Thoughts on baby food?

[Number1Platypus]

My Chinese box turtles been taking meds for a respitory infection for about 2 days and he hasn't been eating. Should I just wait it out or give him baby food with the syringe I got? I usually give him a little bit after the meds so the taste goes away a bit and he actually likes it I think but that's it. He ate a few bites yesterday and I don't think he hate at all today

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

During the administration of most meds hydration is a much higher priority than solid food, so maybe if you want to stick with baby food dilute it down with water, or a baby hydration product with eletrolytes. Are you puting things in it's mouth, or doing a gavage?

Gavage = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force-feeding

 

[Number1Platypus]

During the administration of most meds hydration is a much higher priority than solid food, so maybe if you want to stick with baby food dilute it down with water, or a baby hydration product with eletrolytes. Are you puting things in it's mouth, or doing a gavage?

Gavage = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force-feeding

I'm just using a syringe and putting it in his mouth, no tube or anything (thanks for the wiki page lol) so should I stop giving the baby food? I'd just give him a little mouthful of it to make the taste of the medicine go away after he had that. I'll look for some baby hydration stuff with electrolytes next time I'm at the store

 

[Yvonne G]

Human baby food is not for tortoises. The only reason we use it at all is to get some nutrition into a turtle or tortoise that has stopped eating. If you want to give the tortoise something by dropper, buy some Critical Care. It's a powder of ground up weeds and grasses that herbivores eat. Mix it with as much water as is needed for it to go through the dropper. Critical Care - a much better choice than baby food.

 

[Number1Platypus]

Human baby food is not for tortoises. The only reason we use it at all is to get some nutrition into a turtle or tortoise that has stopped eating. If you want to give the tortoise something by dropper, buy some Critical Care. It's a powder of ground up weeds and grasses that herbivores eat. Mix it with as much water as is needed for it to go through the dropper. Critical Care - a much better choice than baby food.

I'm not sure if it makes a difference but he's a box turtle not a tortoise. And okay I won't give him baby food anymore and I'll look into getting that food thank you. He just ate about half a bowl of food so at least he ate a little but he usually eats 3-4 bowl fulls a day :\

 

[Yvonne G]

What kind of food do you offer the turtle? Most of our captive box turtles are spoiled and will only eat live food or food that wiggles. Have you tried night crawlers? Sorry about mis-reading your question. the Critical Care would be ok to feed your Chinese box turtle too.

Taking antibiotics sometimes depresses the appetite. Soak the turtle daily in warm water in a tub/bowl he can't climb out of, for about 15 minutes each time. He should start eating again soon.

 

[Number1Platypus]

What kind of food do you offer the turtle? Most of our captive box turtles are spoiled and will only eat live food or food that wiggles. Have you tried night crawlers? Sorry about mis-reading your question. the Critical Care would be ok to feed your Chinese box turtle too.

Taking antibiotics sometimes depresses the appetite. Soak the turtle daily in warm water in a tub/bowl he can't climb out of, for about 15 minutes each time. He should start eating again soon.

I give him collar greens, romaine lettuce, carrots, cooked sweet potatoes, blueberies, strawberries and crickets. I've tried worms before but he won't even try to eat them even if I put them in his face or mixed with his food, he just digs around it. All his food has to be finely chopped because he can't really bite well with his top beak missing. I usually soak him every other day and just rinse him before I give him the meds but I'll try soaking everyday

 

[Number1Platypus]

He's not really spoiled because for the first 9 years of his life he was only given freeze dried food and tomatoes from his old owners